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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. firm — a company
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bark — to shout
  10. firm — steady
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. staff — employees
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rush — hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. firm — decided
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bat — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com